When we added the sun room to the back of the house, we not only created one of my favorite spaces in my home, but we also gained an unexpected living area on the patio below. Before the addition, we hardly used the brick patio. It was very sunny and it seemed that I did nothing but sweat and pull weeds that sprouted up overnight in the cracks between the bricks. I have to confess that the patio was the place where I'd paint my furniture in the warm months. Those paint spot speckles on the bricks prove it is my workshop. Eventually my sweet friend, Nancy, found some chinoiserie furniture for me and I decided to clean up that area.

My Unexpected Space Under the Sun Room

The photos in this post were taken by C.M. Glover, the New York photojournalist who did my photo shoot for Houzz. She kindly came back to my house at a later date and took some more photos. These photos were taken at dusk. Below is a view from another angle.

Another Angle of the Area

This is the before picture, complete with my son's sports net pitch back and a trash can.

Before Back Yard

To give you some perspective about the space, you can access the back yard and patio from either side of the house. If you come down the driveway, there's a path to the patio between the garage and the screened porch.

Path From Driveway to Patio

Or, you can enter from the kitchen side of the house and follow a different path to the back yard.

Path From Kitchen Porch to Patio

C.M. suggested that before she returned, I should style the area as if I were hosting a party. I couldn't believe it when I went to Trader Joe's looking for flowers and found some in the exact colors of my cushions.

Styled Table

Here's a closer look at the flowers. Did you notice that I found a spot for those orange shutters? I just couldn't part with them after I purchased them. They hung around for a while in the garage, with everything else in my secret stash, but I knew I'd use them. Their orange color was my inspiration for the space. I still have a few more hanging around. I'm hoping to pry them from my greedy little pack rat fingers and put them up for sale.

Table Setting With Chippy Shutter in Background

You know how I love clocks and demijohns. They were perfect on the bar cart with some ferns from my garden.

Clock and Ferns in My Demijohn on the Bar Cart

I put candles in the candelabra I suspended from the pergola. I even did place settings on my

I had some faux cabbage leaf place mats to go under my cabbage dishes. I paired them with some leopard print flatware and glasses--gotta get that animal print in somewhere.

All Ready to Eat---Where's the Food?

I thought the flowers looked especially nice as the sun was setting.

Building Fragment, Sphere, and Lambs Ear

Sweet Woodruff, Hosta, Lamb's Ear, Nandina, Ferns

Hosta, Dracena, Impatiens Along the Path

I'm very happy with my surprise living space and guess what?? The shade from the sun room also took care of the weed problem. I still paint on the patio and the sun room offers me shade and protection from raindrops too.

your home is so beautiful and gracious Kathy, Would you believe I have a patio space like that too under our porch. It sits empty and never used. Just has a swing at the moment....hmmmm... oxoxox Best of luck this weekend at Lucketts